FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump smiles during an announcement about "Trump accounts", in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 2, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Friday to lash out at Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), presenting an artificial intelligence generated image with exaggerated overweight features, standing in a burning Chicago street, holding a fast food cheeseburger and a sign that reads, "Chicago doesn't need help. We have everything under control."
This comes as Trump reluctantly withdraws his plans for the National Guard in Illinois and a handful of other states after losing a string of court cases on his authority to use military force for routine law enforcement. It also comes as the Wall Street Journal revealed, during a deep dive into concerns about Trump's physical and mental fitness, that Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters was stunned at how much McDonald's Trump put away in a single sitting.
The president's AI-generated attack on Pritzker and the city of Chicago drew instant scorn from commenters on social media.
"Grandpa is posting AI slop again," wrote independent journalist Aaron Rupar.
"It would be scary if Trump actually believed his lies about Chicago, Portland, DC etc.," wrote Center for Economic and Policy Research economist Dean Baker.
"Trump posted this AI image depicting Illinois Governor Pritzker holding a cheeseburger," wrote the anti-Trump Patriot Takes account. "It’s embarrassing that he occupies the Oval Office."
"Once upon a time, our society expected an American president to represent us with dignity, and reacted quite unfavorably when they didn’t," wrote author Jennifer Erin Valent. "I only hope we see a return to that in my lifetime."